Dog Poo News!

[samoyedman]

Who knew this?

Lost in the bush? Get your four-legged compass to crap! :)

http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/03/science/la-sci-sn-dogs-poop-compass-magnetic-field-earth-20140103

Dogs can typically smell and hear far better than their human companions. Now it appears they can sense Earth’s magnetic field too, say a team of biologists – and they show it when they poop.

These canine compasses prefer to align themselves along a north-south magnetic axis when they relieve themselves, according to a study in the journal Frontiers in Zoology. The findings may help scientists better understand how that strange sense called magnetoreception manifests in mammals.

Dogs wouldn't be the only animals thought to use magnetoreception: Birds do it, bees do it – and certain types of mammals do it, according to study coauthor Sabine Begall, a biologist at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.

“We discovered [by measuring Google Earth aerial pictures] that cattle align with the magnetic field lines a few years ago,” Begall said in an email. “Since then, we studied hunting behavior in [the] red fox and found that they have a preference for N-E during their mousing jumps, and from there it was just a small step to study dogs. First, we looked also at other behaviors but the results were less promising than the ‘pooping direction.’”

The scientists studied 70 dogs of 37 different breeds as they defecated (1,893 dumps, to be precise) and urinated (a whopping 5,582 times) – data collected over two years. The researchers found that dogs prefer to point along the north-south axis when they do their business – as long as the magnetic field is stable. When the magnetic field shifts – say, because of an oncoming solar storm – it becomes more difficult to see the pattern, Begall said.

“We were quite frustrated, because we couldn't find a clear preference for a certain direction,” Begall said. “Then, we sorted the data according to the prevailing [magnetic-field] conditions at the time of recording, and this analysis revealed a highly significant and predictable effect.”

Both male and female dogs took this north-south stance when defecating, the study authors said. But male dogs took slightly different positions when urinating – probably a result of their leg-lifting behavior. How that leg-lifting – right or left? – affects a dog’s alignment is “currently under study,” the authors wrote.

The authors caution that more research is needed — in part because ‘normal’ magnetic conditions occurred only in 30% of the cases studied for this work.

If they do indeed sense magnetic fields, why do dogs feel the need to point north-south when they do their business? The authors don’t know yet, Begall said.

“It could be that the dogs somehow calibrate their compass or read their ‘mental map’ during the walks,” Begall said. “Imagine that you read a compass during a hike. If the compass needle is shaky, you might dismiss reading the compass at all. That could be the reason why the dogs have no preference when the [magnetic field] is unstable.”

[raz]

Hmmm. My pug must be broken. She just points in whatever direction her pre poo spinning stops.

[samoyedman]

Must be powerful magnets around throwing her poo needle off

[raz]

[samoyedman]

[aliwake]

I read this a little while ago, and have been paying close attention ever since - I actually think there's something in it! He prefers North, but I did see a south facing one the other day :)

[teekay]

Thinking about it when Luka goes in the garden he does always face the same direction. Never really thought about it before but his head is always facing North. How bizzarre.

I don't think the other two do it though.

Also there is this one strip of grass on our walks that seems to be a magnet for the dogs to toilet, wee or poo. Just so happens that faces North too.

[samoyedman]

Can you imagine a bunch of white coated laboratory types with compasses in one hand amd clipboards in the other recording this stuff?

What did they tell their kids when they asked what did daddy do at work today? :laugh:

[hankdog]

Now there's a theses topic to be proud of. Fancy being at a cocktail party trying to sound impressive...

"Yes professor Begall but what do you actually do all day?"

"Erm, well I watch the direction dogs take a dump in. One day we will put them on the Mars rover incase the compass breaks and then we will have a fool proof back up system!"

[Birkat]

hmm, my Bernese girl just makes sure she is 'private' and opposite my direction, maybe I have to check where I'm standing. My Aussie is usually not waiting while she poos, she walks around in a circle especially nice now in the dark morning I have to search for it with a torch.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Hmm with my dog obviously cyclone wire fences and large metal water tanks and hills hoists must throw her compass off.

Her fave position - I would call ostridge - she likes to put her head right up against a tin fence or barrier or into a bush...

In the back yard she likes under something where the magpies can't swoop her, eg lemon tree or hills hoist.

Craps do not line up with north/south on a regular basis.

Now I'm going to have to start record keeping.

[GeckoTree]

Can you imagine a bunch of white coated laboratory types with compasses in one hand amd clipboards in the other recording this stuff?

What did they tell their kids when they asked what did daddy do at work today? :laugh:

heck yes, theres probably grant money involved!